Absolutely, it shouldn't happen and in 10 years with DPF's I have never had an issue myself, something has to be wrong ( in the Mazda case a lack of sensors and duff workaround maps) for it to cause a malfunction, it you keep short running it and switching it off just as it gets to temperature.

OK, that I see, but you originally said....

And I didn't see how once in the exhaust it got back into the sump.

There is a temperature sensor in the DPF to stop injected fuel being sent into the exhaust if it is not at a sufficient temperature.

My oil level is 100% stable. Extremely clean as well.

I'm guessing that there is a combination of significant blow-by and over fuelling during the power stroke.

Not in a modern Volvo engines. They use special piston rings and very sophisticated sensors and injection software.

I guess it's also possible that with high exhaust back pressure and worn exhaust valve guides you could get excessive leakage into the cam covers, potentially carrying some diesel meant for the dpf with it. The diesel could then be captured in the all the oil sloshing around the cams and make its way back down to the sump via the crank bearing oil supply.

Does Volvo rely on intake vacuum for crankcase ventilation like most cars traditionally do?

The engine will go into limp mode with high exhaust back pressure.

Diesels have little or no intake vacuum to draw gases into the CDR Valve engine 2007 emission standards do not permit crankcase blow-by to be vented to
the atmosphere. OBD-II engines require monitoring of crankcase pressure to detect problems associated with the closed crankcase ventilation system.

I've had it in my 2015 model V60 D5, only 18k miles. The problem I have is that I kept unknowingly interrupting the DPF regens, the car would much rather regen more often and dilute the oil than risk raising a message on your dash about a full filter. It's very difficult to tell when it's regenerating unless you know what to look for, it's almost like Volvo don't want you to know it's fitted with a DPF. The gents in maintenance I've spoken to seem confident that the 0w-30 oil can handle the contamination and worst comes to worst I'd rather change the oil twice a year than replace the DPF biannually.

I've done a write up about the behavior of the DPF which might help a lot of people avoid these issues in future http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=263914

But the oil level never changes on the latest D5 five cylinder and 4 cylinder engines so how can the oil be diluted without increasing the oil level?

Roy

I have noticed my oil levels creep up.

1st Time had it fully serviced. within 2 days warning came up. took to garage and they siphoned it off a little.

Since then all ok until 2weeks ago where it said Engine System something and when i checked the oil level electronically it said too much.

Not sure why this occurs. Will have to drain some more off myself rather then another trip to the garage!

Hi Wim, how does this thread (which runs from 2010 to 2016) come up on my page as an unread post today 27/11/2017? Cheers,JDmac.

My oil level overfill was due to a ham fisted mechanic who serviced the car before it was handed over to me when I purchased it. I removed 2 litres to bring the level down to the 3/4 mark, then 4 weeks later I removed all the wrong oil they put in and gave the engine some proper Castrol Edge 0W-30 A5/B5

I take it this issue only affects diesel powered cars, as I had a "check oil " message on dash when away for a long run yesterday in the V50 2L petrol, but all seem good.

P

A year since I did an oil change and 3,500 miles so I checked my oil level last night and it's exactly where it was when I did the oil change

My car was serviced in February and all was fine until over the weekend in London stop start traffic the message popped up of engine system service required. When I checked the oil level it was indicating well past the Max level. I will be taking the car to the mechanic on Friday but just wondering the potential engine damage if I continue using the car until Friday. Car at the moment serves fine.

I had exactly the same thing happen with my 2017 XC60 a year ago. A few weeks after the service the same message 'engine system service required' came up and when I checked the oil level on the dash it was well into the MAX. I was away from home at the time so called out Volvo. The guy checked the level on the grey dipstick and confirmed it was OK and safe to drive. It subsequently went back to dealer who reset / recalibrated the sensors! It was then serviced last week. Before the service it was just on the MAX mark. After the service it was just on the MAX mark. A week later after hardly any miles it's now on the 3/4 mark. Very bizarre and it really does worry me that there's no proper dipstick.

I believe there is widespread lack of knowledge on A , The volume of oil to put in after a service and B , the fact that it is essential to reset the oil level gauge after the oil change .

I've just had my 2012 V70 D5 serviced by a main dealer and was charged for 5.9L.

The electronic dipstick reads 1/4 above min.

I have added a real dipstick and that reads 1/3 below minimum if you see what I mean.

I have no idea how much oil is in the engine.

the correct volume for the 5 cylinder diesel is 5.7 litres this was revised about 13 years ago or more .

With this amount the proper dipstick should read 2/3 up the XXXXXXXXX mark . You are measuring the level when stone cold i guess? When they have changed the oil they are supposed to reset the oil level gauge on the dash . when that should show full on the gauge .

once you are sure there is 5.7 litres in there and the gauge has been reset and the car left over night the dipstick you fitted should show the correct amount, if not them mark it , it could be the incorrect dipstick as your car was not meant to have one . what does the grey plastic service dipstick show ?

Thanks Clan,

No, I hadn't let it stand for long enough.... but now I have (level garage overnight), the dipstick is 1/4 up the XX XX marks. That's the same as the electronic dipstick, so that makes me feel better.

Compared the distance into the sump of the service dipstick to the proper one and they appear to be the same. No reason to think it would be wrong as it has been on there for maybe 5 years without a problem.

Will still speak to the dealer when i get the chance, because they clearly haven't done it right.

So can anyone actually explain why, other than pure greed, Volvo now have an electronic oil sensor? If not greed, then they would make it simple to reset the sensor from the driver’s seat.

Volvo have had an electronic oil sensor for 14 years now , there have never been problems with the sensor its a highly accurate ultrasonic device which also samples oil temperature and oil quality and sends the data back down a single wire . . Having a reset button on the dash would make it useless. Much like the tyre pressure monitor system is with the customer reset "button"...

But the need to reset the level on every oil change at a dealer is pure greed. A dipstick allows home servicing, which apart from the manufacturer interference is easier than ever before. In the days of greasing nipples all over axles and ball joints, checking valve clearances and timing etc, servicing was for the more experienced home mechanic, but there is no reason for it to be inappropriately complex on a modern car. Unless the manufacturer’s business model is to screw the owner after the sale....

what do you mean greed? Its to make sure the driver knows the exact level right in front of his eyes and let him know when it needs attention . which is more important these days , things have moved on I would say 90% of drivers these days don't open their bonnet from one service to the next .. Its there for their benefit .

The benefit could be provided with a user accessible method of resetting the sensor, rather than forcing a trip to the main dealer. That’s the greed I’m referring to.

Most cars with a manual dipstick also have a low oil/oil pressure warning light.

Without a reset the display would continue to give the pre-change reading (which could be confusing for the customer), so the reset is required to 'force' a a full indication folowing an oil change. The system updates itself after 30km of driving anyway and then gives the correct reading whether reset during the service or not. So no real problem for DIY oil changes EXCEPT you need to be very careful how much you put in and then can only check the level after driving for 30km, unless you have VIDA or an app which can give you the instanteous oil level sensor reader in mm (I do have a cheap Bluetooth ELM327 interface and the free 'Car Scanner' Android app that can provide this reading).

This caused a weird problem after my last service at a Volvo dealer... somehow they put too little oil in but still reset the dipstick system. So everything looked fine at first when setting off back home (over 30km away) but then when I checked the oil level indication the next morning it was showing 'low' because the system had updated to the new level. Long story short, I had to return for a top-up and got given a free litre of Volvo oil for my trouble...

every year i get it serviced.. its says its ok then it says its too much, its too little and have to play this game til the level settles!

Engine oil pole
 

I have had the rising oil problem this week,my car is 2.4 d d3 awd. I have owned the car for three years with no problem but this week had the oil issue. The engine is supposed to take 5.9 Ltr of oil. Volvo have told dealers and service centres to only put 70% in which is 4.2 litres to allow for oil rise. My service guy has explained to me ,that when the car regenerates diesel is injected into the cylinders on the exhaust stroke of the engine pushing extra diesel into the exhaust raising the temperature so the particles burn off the dpf. However with unburnt diesel in the cylinders it drops down past the piston rings and enters the sump thus rising the oil level. There are two very important reasons why this oil needs to be changed one is that diesel dilutes and brakes down the oil which it does not lubricate . The other and most important is if the level rises past 120% the risk is the engine can pull the oil through the turbo and your engine runs on. The result is complete destruction of your engine you won’t be able to turn it off with the key your engine revs way past the red line until it goes bang.

Your engine oil capacity is 5.8 litres after adding this the oil level gauge has to be reset with the dealers VIDA system ...

4.2 litres is WAY too low whoever told you that , certainly not a volvo dealer ..... the original capacity was 6.2 litres until 2006 . This is where you are confused , it is 70% of 6.2 litres NOT 5.8 litres

I don't know what you have done , But assuming you have exactly 5.8 litres of NEW oil , I would get the oil gauge reset then go from there .
Oil rising is NOT a common problem with these engines , are you doing a lot of short journeys perhaps ? It may be that just as the regeneration starts , you have to stop , so the cycle goes on ...

Rising oil
 

They are setting oil levels at 70% my Volvo specialist has shown me the bullitin from Volvo. Yes I do short journeys but always give a good long run each week keep revs up above 2000 rpm. And I disagree with previous reply rising oil is a problem in this era of car ,not so much from 2015. I am no maths genius but 70% of 6.2 is only 4.34 Ltrs of oil.

Rising oil levels
 

It’s worth mentioning for failed cheap fix to the digital oil level on the dash is to fit a manual dipstick, as it happens all these car already have one it’s referred to as a technicians dipstick.

This is where it gets confusing. You have to use VIDA to get the level to 70% & the engine oil has to be minimum 60 degrees to get to this percentage.

Its not 70% of maximum capacity, its 70% in VIDA when parameters such as engine oil temperature are met. Follow VIDA & you (or they) can’t go wrong, but they also need to reset the oil gauge.

Not to sound funny, but a car of this size takes more than 4.3L of oil. Even a small car would take maybe 3/4 litres, never mind something with a 2.4L engine that weighs nearly two tonnes. You don’t need to be a genius to work that out either.

I suggest you add some oil urgently, as 4.3L in this engine is far too low & you could do serious damage. It doesn’t sound to me as if this “specialist” you’re using actually knows what they’re doing. Putting 4.3L in a car this size with a big engine is frankly ludicrous.

Your car needs 5.8L of oil, not 4.3L. 5.8L allows for failed regenerations & is the proper amount of oil required for your engine. Keep driving the car with 4.3L in it & the oil level will be the least of your worries… you’ll have a destroyed engine.

If there’s 4.3L in it now, you need to add another 1.5L & reset the gauge in VIDA. Just to reiterate, this needs to be done as a matter of urgency.

Oil level
 

Hello all, new member here, just purchased a 2012 V60 2.0 D3 163bhp model and had an oil level issue. Please excuse the rambling...
Bought the (recently serviced) car a few weeks ago and had an intermittent warning message appear "Engine system service required", quick look on YT to figure out how to interpret this and code 097 shows.
Likely to be too much oil added after a service it said - very probable me thinks.
Upshot is I purchased/fitted a Technician dipstick to check oil level... it was about a 1/4 full level and then checked the dashboard oil level and it's half full (2 bars)
Car has been driven over 100 miles since I removed the oil. (removed before I bought the dipstick) I will monitor and carry a bottle in case of low level warnings.
Question - do I need to go to dealer to 'calibrate' the dash oil level against the physical dipstick ?
Seems mad to have two different readings. Never experienced this in car DIY for over 30yrs.
Cheers guys !

I assume you have the 5 cylinder engine ....
you need 0W/30 oil A5/B5 specification

drain the oil and filter . Put back in just eactly 5.7 litres , then the gauge needs calibrating with the dealer VIDA equipment ..

The Mechanical dipstick l will be about 60% up the XXXXXX scale so that will be the correct normal position ..

Cheers Clan,
yes it's the 5 cyl engine (sound nice for a diesel)
info greatly appreciated, is there a OBD dongle/app that could do the resetting or is it dealer only ?
I never 'normally' use dealers as they're rates are crazy !
Does seem to me a money making thing to force you to go to the dealers for an oil change !

Even an oil change is technical these days , the correct level is critical ....

....Even an oil change is technical these days , the correct level is critical ....
...But my point is, it shouldn't be overly technical - Volvo have overcomplicated a simple DIY job forcing owners to go the their dealer to use fancy software, it's absolutely nonsense !

They aren’t the only ones. There’s loads of car manufacturers that don’t use physical dipsticks nowadays… BMW, Mercedes & Land Rover for example.

Modern isn’t always better!

But surely the electronic dipsticks are improving? I've become familiar with mine and now I trust it... it showed 'low' yesterday so I added 0.25L and today it shows 'OK'. Good enough for me and I know that even if I can't be bothered to check it regularly then it'll give me the 'add 0.5L' warning message as and when necessary (like many early VEA models mine does consume some oil between changes).

Dipsticks at Volvo !
 

Improving ???......
The owners handbook states the following: “The oil level is only detected by the system during driving. The system cannot detect changes when the oil is filled or drained. The car must be driven about 30km before the oil level display is correct”
How can this possibly be an improvement in that you have to drive 30km if you add or remove oil to confirm the new level ?

I don’t think the electronic dipsticks have improved at all. I’d disagree on that.

Physical dipstick all the way I think. Simple & it works…